Creation of Theme: Meaningful Quotations

A Creative Writing Portfolio Project

I. Preparation: Create a Table of Contents for your class portfolio’s Major Work. In this table of contents include a chronological list of your major pieces by title, type of writing, and skills applied. This preparation may be used a culminating activity for your entire portfolio and can ensure success on the exam.

II. Thematic Exploration: Find three favorite quotations that best reflect your philosophies of life. Document where they came from. Try to avoid sayings or clichés as much as possible.

• Journal about each quotation -- about five minutes each.
• Meet to share and discuss quotations, giving ideas for what creative writing might be made out of each.

· Create a brainstorming list for the ideas you get from the discussion.

III. The Writing: Complete the writings described below. Although you may work on any piece at any time, you will be lead through the three pieces in class with accompanying mini-lessons relevant to each type of writing.

• Quotation 1: Write a short story (10 paragraph max) which uses your first quotation as its theme.

• Quotation 2: Write 50 total lines of poetry in at least two poems of different types. For the first, use your second quote as a theme. For the second, use the quotation in your poem. If you do more, you may use the second quotation in any other ways you want.

• Quotation 3: Here is a list of writing types you may choose from for your third quotation (all 4 to 6 paragraphs): monologue, satire, descriptive essay, creative essay. Use your Portfolio Table of Contents for Major Works to determine what piece you should do. You must have at least four different types of writing in your class portfolio, so if you do not, select one of the types you have not done yet. If you have already met the four type requirement, you may select any type of writing in the list.

• Alternate Piece: Write an expository essay explaining the quote and it's importance in your life. These should be 4 to 6 paragraphs, and should explore the quotation's origin, meaning, application in your life, and what it says about you. It should be informal in voice and colorfully written. (Only available in Advanced Creative Writing.)

• Presentation Option: Create poster and present your favorite piece to the class. Longer pieces will be presented as excerpts. Only done if specifically assigned by the instructor.

• Presentation Option 2: Create bumper sticker and present to class with speech. Only done if specifically assigned by the instructor.

IV. Assessment: Your work will be graded as described below. Final Exam for Creative Writing Rubric.

• The written pieces will be graded with the scoring guide for each individual piece, so make it a point to review those guides right away. In general, though, successful completion of each piece will meet the requirements for this project. In terms of your nine week’s grade, this activity is worth the equivalent of one or two major pieces as determined by the instructor.

• As always, prewriting, rough drafts, Revised Rough Drafts (RRDs), and peer reads are scored for completion and effectiveness.

• Skills development activities may be assigned with any mini-lessons taught during the unit. These may be graded for completion or mastery as determined by the instructor.

• If either Presentation Option is selected, you will be provided with separate scoring guides.

V. Theme Creation Journals

1. As quickly as you can, write down everything you can remember doing in this class. Then, pick out one or two things you are really proud of having learned or improved and explain how you learned and improved that (those) skill(s).

2. (15 minutes) Take five minutes each to explore the meaning and importance to you of each quotation you have chosen.

3. On a separate piece of paper, write down six questions you'd like to have answered about your short story, being sure to leave four lines in between the questions for your peer reader to answer. Go back to the top of the paper and, on the top line, write out the quotation which is the theme of the story.

4. Describe the most annoying thing in your life right now. Try to be as powerful as possible with your words. This may be shared so make it school appropriate.

5. Your overall assessment of your final project.